Team:HK SSC/Safety

Every iGEM project is concerned about safety. The risks involved in research make safety an important factor. To ensure individual and societal safety, foresight and responsibility are necessary. To minimize the risks of working in a lab and take all necessary precautions to prevent any personal or environmental harm. All labs are equipped with the necessary safety equipment. To this end, we have implemented the following safety procedures below.

Supervision by teachers and instructors:

Throughout the process, we were supervised by laboratory personnel, in charge of monitoring the actions we took and providing instruction in the relevant knowledge and techniques.

Organisms

The strains we worked with, E. coli DH5a and S. elongatus UTEX 2973 are not hazardous to humans and the environment.

Prevention and safety measures

Every member was equipped with lab coats, protective goggles, and disposable gloves
Hazardous works were done under a fumehood, DNA work was done at an open bench, whereas cell work was done under aseptic conditions with a Bunsen flame.
No eating and drinking in laboratories
Washing our hand with soap before leaving the laboratory
At the start and end of each workday, all workbenches were cleaned and disinfected with ethanol.
Cultures and used lab consumables are mixed with 1:49 bleach before disposal

Laboratory environment